Method for producing sinking/floating rope

ABSTRACT

A unique rope for use in commercial fishing comprising floating and sinking portions. The sinking portion has blended yarns made up of a blend of first and second non-metallic synthetic filaments in proportions to yield a sinking rope portion having a specific gravity greater than one. The sinking rope portion comprises strands having yarns of substantially the same diameter. The floating portion of the rope is formed by replacing selected ones of the blended yarns in each strand with yarns formed of a material having a specific gravity of less than one. The replacement yarns and the blended yarns are of the same diameter to enhance the integrity and strength of the rope. The yarns omitted from the sinking section and replaced with the yarns having a specific gravity less than one are terminated at staggered intervals along the rope and their replacement yarns are inserted at like staggered intervals forming a merged region between the sinking and floating portions having a tensile strength which is equivalent to the tensile strength of the sinking and floating portions. The rope material sensitive to ultraviolet radiation is surrounded and thus protected by the material resistant to ultraviolet radiation. The ultraviolet sensitive material may also be treated with a stabilizer material which enhances resistance to ultraviolet radiation. A method is also disclosed for producing the floating/sinking rope.

This is a Division of application Ser. No. 07/553,872, filed Jul. 16,1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,218.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to ropes, and more particularly, to anovel floating/sinking rope formed of non-corrosive/non-toxic materialshaving enhanced abrasion and UV resistance and in which the strands ofthe floating and sinking portions of the rope are joined in a unique wayto enhance the breaking strength of the rope over its entire length andespecially in the region where the floating and sinking portions arejoined.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Historically, crab and lobster fishermen have used two ropes joinedtogether by a knot and attached one end to a float and the other end toa trap or "pot" employed for deep water fishing.

A normal rigging employs a sinking line having a specific gravitygreater than one, i.e. a specific gravity greater than that of water,which extends from the float and having a length typically on the orderof twenty-two (22) fathoms. The sinking line prevents the rope fromfloating upon the surface, thereby creating a potential hazard. At thispoint, the sinking line is joined, i.e. knotted to, a floating linehaving a specific gravity less than one with the length of the floatingline being determined by the depth of the water. The floating line isthen joined to the "pot". This design is extremely advantageous for usein such deep sea fishing since fishermen desire that the line attachedto the "pot" should not scare the catch. This objective is accomplishedby the floating rope section which floats above the "pot".

Joining the floating and sinking rope sections with a knot isdisadvantageous since a knot of any type reduces the strength of a lineby 50 percent. The knowledge of this degradation in strength has lead tothe development of a partially leaded polypropylene line having a leadwire incorporated into a portion of the rope, said lead wire extendingover a length of the order of twenty-two fathoms. A sufficient amount oflead is used to overcome the specific gravity of polypropylene which isless than that of water. In producing the rope, when the length oftwenty-two fathoms is reached, the lead wire is terminated and theremainder of the rope length is formed by continuing the polypropyleneportion of the rope which, having a specific gravity less than water(i.e., less than 1.0), floats.

Although the last-mentioned design provides a floating/sinking ropeyielding the desired objectives of the fishermen, there are neverthelesssome important deficiencies which include the following:

1. In cold water the ductility of the lead is significantly reduced andthe lead becomes brittle. Due to the natural elongation of thepolypropylene line when in use (the elongation is commonly of the orderof 15 percent) the lead breaks, and, through continued use, the leadworks its way out of the line thereby decreasing its sinkability.

2. The lead lost into the sea becomes an environmental threat, due toits toxicity (i.e., lead is poisonous).

3. The polypropylene line softens due to the voids caused by the leadwhich has worked its way out of the polypropylene line causing the lineto wear more quickly thus significantly reducing its operating life.

4. The lay of the entire line changes as the rope, when floating freely,works itself toward a neutral lay or degree of twist.

It is, therefore, extremely advantageous to provide a rope having allthe characteristics of the floating/sinking ropes of the prior art whichovercome the disadvantages of lead filled rope and rope whose floatingand sinking portions are knotted together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is characterized by comprising a floating/sinkingrope which is formed of materials which are non-metallic and hencenon-corrosive and, more particularly, which are non-toxic. The rope isformed of synthetic materials and, more particularly, synthetic plasticmaterials of first and second types having specific gravitiesrespectively greater than and less than 1.0 (1.0 being the specificgravity of water). The materials preferably have contrasting colors todifferentiate the floating and sinking rope portions by a simple visualobservation.

The sinking portion of the floating/sinking rope is preferably formedfirst and is comprised of strands, each having a plurality of blendedyarns formed of a combination of the materials of said first and secondspecific gravities whose proportions are selected to yield yarns havinga resultant specific gravity greater than one.

The blended yarns are arranged so that the filaments having a specificgravity greater than one and which are also resistant to ultravioletradiation and have a superior abrasion resistance, are arranged to forma cover layer surrounding the filaments having a specific gravity lessthan one.

Rope strands are formed by combining a predetermined number of theblended yarns, all of substantially the same diameter. When the strandbeing formed reaches a predetermined length, selected yarns of saidstrand are terminated in a staggered fashion along the length of thestrand and each terminated yarn is replaced with a yarn formed only offibers having a specific gravity less than one to thereby form thefloating rope section. The yarns of the sinking rope section which arenot terminated are continued over the entire length of the floatingsection. By terminating the selected yarns of the sinking rope sectionin a staggered fashion and hence initiating the replacement yarns forthe floating rope section in a complementary staggered fashion and byforming the blended and unblended yarns of substantially equaldiameters, the yarns which are twisted to form each strand have abreaking strength in the transition region between the sinking andfloating rope portions which is equal to the breaking strength of thesinking and floating rope portions themselves.

The fibers having a specific gravity greater than one are formed of amaterial having a high abrasion resistance and also having a highresistance to ultraviolet radiation. The fibers having a specificgravity of less than one are also highly sensitive to ultravioletradiation. These last-mentioned fibers are surrounded by the fibershaving a specific gravity greater than one, whereby the overall abrasionresistance of the rope and the overall resistance to UV radiation aregreatly enhanced.

Once strands having sinking and floating portions of the desired lengthare formed, a plurality of such strands (typically three) are joinedtogether, i.e. either twisted or braided, to form the floating/sinkingrope. The elimination of knots and/or lead employed in prior art designseliminates all of the disadvantages of floating/sinking rope of the leadfilled type and the method of joining said sections provides a ropewhich has no reduced strength sections, especially in the transitionregion between the floating and sinking portions.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a novelmethod for producing floating/sinking rope which totally avoids andeliminates metallic, corrosive and toxic elements typically utilized toform the sinking portion thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novelmethod for producing a floating/sinking rope having a sinking portion ofenhanced flexibility as compared with conventional sinking ropeportions.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novelmethod for producing a floating/sinking rope having floating and sinkingrope portions which are joined in a unique manner and which eliminatesthe need for knotting said sections together as well as eliminating thedisadvantages which result from a knotted rope.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novelmethod for producing a floating/sinking rope having a substantiallyuniform diameter over the entire length thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelfloating/sinking rope formed of synthetic materials having enhancedabrasion resistance and resistance to ultraviolet radiation as comparedwith conventional rope.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novelfloating/sinking rope formed of synthetic materials of differentspecific gravities arranged in a fashion to form floating and sinkingrope portions joined in a transition section in a manner such that thebreaking strength of the transition section is substantially equivalentto the breaking strength of the floating and sinking portions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The above, as well as other objects of the present invention will becomeapparent when reading the accompanying description and drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a simplified diagrammatic view comparing the rope of thepresent invention with conventional rope when in use;

FIG. 2a shows, a sectional view of one strand of a sinking section ofrope designed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2b is a sectional view showing a sinking section of a three strandrope, each strand embodying the design shown in FIG. 2a;

FIG. 3a is a sectional view showing one strand of a floating section ofthe rope embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3b shows a sectional view of the sinking section of a three strandrope embodying the strand arrangement shown in FIG. 3a;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a system for forming strands inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4a is a front view of the reeve plate shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5a is a perspective view of apparatus for forming afloating/sinking rope;

FIG. 5b is a perspective showing of a detailed view of a portion of theapparatus for forming yarns in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a comparison of a fishing rope 10 of the prior art comparedwith a fishing rope 20 embodying the principles of the presentinvention.

Fishermen seeking deep sea catch such as crab and lobster, for example,have traditionally employed a rope 10 shown in FIG. 1 which is comprisedof two rope portions, namely a sinking line portion 12 and a floatingline portion 14 joined together by a knot 16. The sinking line 12,having a specific gravity greater than one is coupled at its upper endto float 17 and is coupled at its lower end to the upper end of floatingline 14 by knot 16. The floating line, which has a specific gravity ofless than one, has an overall length typically determined by the depthof the water. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the floating line has alength of forty-four fathoms. The lower end of floating line 14 iscoupled to the "pot" 18. A knot of any type is known to reduce thestrength of the rope by 50 percent, thereby yielding a rope 10 which isof inferior quality.

Rope 20 of the present invention has a sinking line portion 22 whoseupper end is coupled to float 17 and a floating line portion 24 whoselower end is coupled to "pot" 18. Contrary to the design of rope 10, therope 20 of the present invention has no knots, and makes a smoothtransition from the sinking line portion 22 to the floating line portion24 thereby significantly enhancing the overall strength of the line. Aswill be more fully described hereinbelow, the novel rope 20 of thepresent invention eliminates the need for metallic elements within therope thus eliminating possible corrosion and also yields a non-toxicrope which does not contaminate or pollute the water and the inhabitantsthereof.

As was pointed out hereinabove, one rope design which eliminates theneed for knotting sinking and floating lines together utilizes a leadwire within the sinking rope portion. The amount of lead employed is afunction of the rope material whose specific gravity is less than one.The lead wire is simply terminated at the lower end of the sinking ropeportion when making the rope and the remainder of the rope, i.e. thefloating line portion, is produced with the lead wire omitted. Thematerial of the floating line portion obviously has a specific gravityof less than one in order to achieve the desired results.

The disadvantages of a lead-filled rope have been pointed outhereinabove and the lead-filled rope and knotted rope 10 shown in FIG. 1clearly establish the need for a rope having the advantageous featuresof the present invention and, more specifically, which eliminates thedisadvantageous features of lead-filled and knotted ropes of thesinking/floating type.

The present invention is characterized by comprising a sinking ropeportion which is preferably produced first and which is comprised of aplurality of strands, each strand being substantially of the same commondiameter and being formed of a plurality of blended yarns formed offirst and second type material which are blended in accordance with aproportionality which yields strands having a specific gravity greaterthan one. FIG. 2a shows a typical strand S employed to make the sinkingrope section. Strand S is comprised of a plurality of individual yarns Yeach having the same common diameter. Each of the yarns Y is formed offirst and second fibers wherein one of said fibers has a specificgravity which is less than one while the other fiber has a specificgravity of greater than one. These fibers are blended in such a manneras to form a yarn Y which has a resultant specific gravity of greaterthan one. Yarns Y will hereinafter be referred to as "blended yarns". Inone preferred embodiment, the strand of the sinking rope section isformed of a polyester fiber "veneered" over a polyolefin fiber toproduce a blended yarn that contains sufficient polyester, having aspecific gravity of 1.38, to more than counterbalance the buoyant effectof the polyolefin which has a specific gravity of 0.91. The desiredratio of polyester to polyolefin is 51:49 in the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2a, the polyolefin fibersform the core C of each yarn while the polyester fiber forms the outerlayer L which completely surrounds the core C of each yarn Y.

The polyolefin fibers are sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. Bycovering the polyolefin fibers 100 percent with the polyester fibers,which are 100 percent ultraviolet resistant, the polyolefin fibers areprotected from degradation due to ultraviolet radiation. In addition,the polyester fibers are also more resistant to abrasion than thepolyolefin fibers thereby reducing abrasion between and amongneighboring yarns within each strand, as well as between yarns of theadjacent strands forming the rope.

The polyolefin fibers may also contain a hindered amine light stabilizer(HALS) that resists ultraviolet degradation. The amount of stabilizerintroduced guarantees minimal strength loss when tested at theapproximate latitude of 30 degrees for one year of outdoor exposure.

Each of the blended yarns Y are of a common uniform diameter, as shown.

The method of manufacture of the sinking section, the strands of whichare produced first, is the production of the blended yarns to insuresinkability. When the normal twenty-two fathom length is reached, asufficient number of the blended yarns in the sinking section (normallyfive to six) are exchanged for 100 percent polyolefin yarns. Morespecifically, the blended yarns Y are removed and are replaced bypolyolefin yarns Y_(p) as shown in FIG. 3a. Polyolefin yarns are formedof polyolefin fibers wherein each yarn Y_(p) has a diametersubstantially the same as the diameter of the blended yarns Y. Thepolyolefin yarns which, as was described hereinabove, have a specificgravity of 0.91, together with the ratio of the blended to thepolyolefin yarns within the floating strand S_(F), is sufficient to forma strand S_(F) which floats. The ratio of polyester to polyolefin ischanged from the sinking rope section which is 51:49 to the desired 30percent polyester, 70 percent polyolefin. The yarn exchange preferablytakes place over a three to four fathom length in order to maintain thediameter of the rope uniform and in order to maintain its strength andintegrity.

The manner of forming the blended yarn will now be described in greaterdetail in connection with FIG. 4 which shows a blended yarn veneeringreeve plate E (FIG. 4a) having a central opening E1 for receiving a yarncomprised of polyolefin fibers and openings E2 about its circumferentialportion each for receiving yarns B comprised of polyester fibers.

The polyolefin yarn A is derived from a source O and passes through thecentral opening E1 in reeve plate E (see FIG. 4a). A plurality of tubesB containing polyester yarn are arranged at spaced intervals about animaginary circle and each tube feeds a polyester yarn through anassociated one of the openings E2 in reeve plate E arranged about thecircumference of the plate. FIG. 4 shows only two such yarns and bobbinsfor purposes of simplicity.

All of the yarns passing through the reeve plate are drawn together toform a blended yarn G comprised of twisted polyolefin yarns andpolyester yarns. The polyolefin yarn A from the extrusion line ismaintained at a higher tension in moving toward the yarn twister,located at G, as compared with the tensions of the polyester yarns.Tension wheels F are operated to provide the desired tension. Thetension differential causes the polyester yarns to wrap around thepolyolefin yarn. The number of yarns of polyester B employed in forminga blended yarn and the line speed of the yarn twister determine theeffectiveness of the cover. The twister, although not shown, may be anyconventional twister capable of providing the desired twist. Forexample, note the twister 55 described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,201,930 andfurther disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6 of said patent. Alternatively, anyother suitable twister may be employed. The individual polyester andpolyolefin yarns are preferably twisted preparatory to formation of theblended yarn shown in FIG. 4. The number of polyester yarns employed andthe line speed of the yarn twister determine the effectiveness of thecover. So long as the relative tensions between the polyester andpolyolefin yarns are different and so long as the tension on thepolyolefin yarn is greater than the tension on the polyester yarns, theyarns with least tension will wrap around the higher tension yarn.

The number of fibers in the blended yarn is chosen to yield a compositeblended yarn having a specific gravity greater than one. In thepreferred embodiment, when employing polyester and polyolefin fibers,the ratio of polyester to polyolefin is 51 percent to 49 percent (i.e.51:49). Given the specific gravities of these two materials, theresulting specific gravity of the blended yarn is greater than one.

In order to form a floating/sinking rope, the blended yarns are formedin the manner described in connection with FIG. 4 and the 100 percentpolyolefin yarns are formed in any suitable fashion.

A strand of all blended yarns is formed utilizing the apparatus shown inFIGS. 5a and 5b. The rope strand is started with all yarns being theblended yarns (see FIG. 2a) having a specific gravity greater than one.FIG. 5b shows a strand creel 30 provided with a plurality of yarnbobbins 32 of the aforementioned blended yarns shown, for example, inFIG. 2a. The blended yarns are drawn through a strand die 34 and areultimately twisted into a strand, for example, of the type describedhereinabove. When a predetermined length of sinking rope is formed,selected ones of the blended yarns are exchanged by terminating selectedones of the blended yarns and switching them with 100% polyolefin yarns.This is accomplished by removing one of the packages of blended yarnfrom the strand creel 30 and replacing this package with a 100 percentpolyolefin yarn package. The polyolefin yarn leader 36 is inserted intothe center of the strand at the strand die 34 utilizing a strandinsertion tool 38 shown in FIG. 5a. The leader end of the 100 percentpolyolefin yarn is looped through the eye 38a of insertion tool 38. Thetool 38 is pulled through the strand being formed within the tubularmember 40. By looping the new yarn through the eye 38a of tool 38 andpulling the tool through the strand, the new yarn is introduced into thestrand without a knot. This method insures both a substantially constantdiameter and constant strength for the strand and thereby provides arope of constant strength.

All of the blended yarns chosen to be replaced with the 100 percentpolyolefin yarn are exchanged in a staggered fashion, preferably over atwenty foot length of strand to maintain rope strength and diameteruniform throughout the transition region between the floating andsinking portions. The transition section thus gradually moves fromnegative buoyancy to positive with no discernible change in itsdiameter. This is accomplished by employment of the staggered method andfurther by forming the blended yarns and the 100 percent polyolefinyarns of substantially the same diameter and twisting the yarns formingthe strand.

In one preferred embodiment, the floating and sinking rope sections aremade easily distinguishable to the eye by utilizing polyolefin yarns ofa first color which replace the white blended yarns employed in thesinking portion of the rope thus aiding in a simple differentiation ofthe sinking and floating rope portions.

When the proper number of blended yarns have been replaced by 100percent polyolefin yarns, the ratio of blended to polyolefin yarns ismaintained throughout the remaining length of the rope. Typically, afloating/sinking rope has a sinking rope section of twenty-two fathomlength and a floating rope section of the order of forty-four fathomlength for a total length of sixty-six fathoms. However, any other ropelength may be utilized depending upon the needs of the user and withoutdeparting from the rope design of the present invention.

The strands of the sinking rope portion are twisted together to providethe desired lay. FIGS. 2b and 3b show the cross-sectional configurationof a three strand rope designed in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention. If desired, the rope may be formed of a greaternumber of strands and, if desired, may also be a multi-strand braidedrope.

By staggering the terminated blended yarns over a three to four fathomlength (typically over a transition region of the order twenty feet) thediameter of the rope is maintained constant through the sinking ropeportion, the transition region and the floating rope portion. In anembodiment wherein five to six blended yarns are terminated and replacedby an equal number of 100 percent polyolefin yarns, the individual yarnsterminated may be spaced from one another in a staggered fashion so asto be of the order of two to three feet apart, it being understood thateach of the blended yarns to be replaced are substituted by 100 percentpolyolefin yarn in accordance with the method described hereinabove inconjunction with FIGS. 5a and 5b.

All of the strands of the sinking rope section of the three strand ropemay be formed simultaneously and then twisted together to form thecross-section as shown in FIG. 2a. The transitions of each strand may beobtained in the manner described hereinabove and, once the blended yarnshave been replaced in the staggered fashion by 100 percent polyolefinyarns, as described hereinabove, the strands of the floating ropesection may then be twisted together to form a cross-section as shown inFIG. 3a. It should be noted that the blended yarns not replaced extendthe entire length of the rope (sixty-six fathoms, for example). Thetwisting of the individual strands and the ultimate twisting of thestrands forming the multiple strand rope enhance the strength of therope in the transition region between the sinking and floating ropesections by tightly maintaining the replacement yarns in the strand.

Although the preferred embodiment described herein is preferably formedof polyolefin and polyester fibers, it should be understood that thesame technique may be utilized by the employment of fibers havingspecific gravities which are respectively greater than and less than oneand which have abrasion resistance and ultraviolet resistance preferablysimilar to that of the fibers employed in the rope of the presentinvention.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scopeof the invention herein described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for producing a strand for use in a ropehaving a sinking portion and a floating portion for use in deep waterfishing comprising the steps of:(a) providing fibers of a first materialof a specific gravity which is greater than one; (b) providing fibers ofa second material of a specific gravity which is less than one; (c)blending the fibers of said first and second materials into a yarn of acomposite blend of fibers of said first and second materials, the ratioof fibers of said first material to fibers of said second material insaid composite blended yarn being selected to provide a resultingspecific gravity which is greater than one; (d) forming the blended yarnof a predetermined outer diameter which is substantially uniform overits length; (e) forming a yarn of fibers of said second material of adiameter substantially equal to the diameter of said blended yarn; (f)initially forming a strand comprised of a predetermined number of saidblended yarns; (g) terminating selected ones of the blended yarns whenthe strand being formed reaches a predetermined length while continuingto form the remaining blended yarns; (h) inserting yarns comprised ofonly said second material into said strand to replace each terminatedblended yarn at the point of termination, the quantity of yarnscomprised of only fibers of said second material being sufficient innumber to alter the resulting specific gravity of the length of thestrand containing blended yarns and yarns of said second material to avalue less than one.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising thestep of forming the portion of the strand having both blended yarns andyarns comprised of only said second material of a predetermined length.3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of laying a ropecomprised of a plurality of strands; andtwisting said strands togetherto produce a rope of a predetermined strength.
 4. The method of claim 3further comprising the step of laying the portion of strand having aspecific gravity greater than one of a length of approximatelytwenty-two fathoms.
 5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the stepof laying the portion of strand having a specific gravity less than oneof a length of approximately 44 fathoms.
 6. The method of claim 2further comprising the step of laying a rope of at least two strandseach strand being formed according to steps (a) through (h).
 7. Themethod of claim 1 wherein step (g) further comprises the steps ofterminating selected ones of the blended yarns to form a plurality ofterminated ends so that the blended yarns so terminated are of differentlengths whereby each terminated end is spaced from at least anotherterminated end by a predetermined distance; andinserting a yarncomprised of only fibers of said second material so that an end beinginserted is substantially adjacent to an associated terminated end of ablended yarn thereby providing a strand having a substantially constantdiameter over its entire length.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein theends of the blended yarns which are terminated at step (g) are spaced atleast one foot apart.
 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the ends of theblended yarns which are terminated at step (g) are spaced at leastseveral feet apart.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) furthercomprises the step of forming said first fiber of polyester.
 11. Themethod of claim 10 wherein step (b) further comprises the step offorming said first fiber of polyester.
 12. The method of claim 11wherein the step of forming a blended yarn further comprises the step oftwisting the polyester fibers about the polyolefin fibers to form aprotective shield about said polyolefin fibers to protect the polyolefinfibers from ultraviolet radiation.
 13. The method of claim 11 whereinthe step of forming a blended yarn further comprises the step oftwisting the polyester fibers about the polyolefin fibers tosignificantly reduce the deterioration of the polyolefin fibers due toultraviolet light.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) furthercomprises the step of forming said second fiber of polyolefin.
 15. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising the step of treating at least oneof said yarns with an ultraviolet inhibitor.
 16. The method of claim 1further comprising the step of treating at least one of said yarns withHALS.
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps (a) and (b) furtherinclude forming the fibers by extrusion.
 18. The method of claim 17wherein the extruded fibers are formed during an extrusion steppreparatory to forming said yarns and said extrusion step employedduring step (b) further comprises the steps of:adding an ultravioletinhibitor to the material employed to form at least one of said fiberspreparatory to extrusion and thereafter extruding the said material andinhibitor to form fibers.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein theextruded fibers are formed during an extrusion step employed in step (b)preparatory to forming said yarns and said extrusion step furthercomprises the steps of:adding HALS to the material employed to form atleast one of said fibers preparatory to extrusion and thereafterextruding the said material and inhibitor to form fibers.
 20. The methodof claim 1 wherein the first and second fibers are chosen to havecontrasting colors.
 21. The method of claim 1 wherein the yarns of thestrand are twisted together to retain each yarn of second material inthe strand.
 22. A method for laying a rope for use in deep water fishingcomprising the steps of:forming a strand comprised of a predeterminednumber of first yarns having a specific gravity greater than one;forming the outer diameter of said first yarns so that they aresubstantially equal; terminating the ends of selected ones of said firstyarns when the strand being formed reaches a predetermined length whilecontinuing to form the remaining first yarns to obtain a secondpredetermined length; replacing each of the terminated first yarns ofsaid strand at the point of termination with a second yarn whosespecific gravity is less than one, said second yarns being formed toextend to said second predetermined length and to have an outer diametersubstantially equal to the outer diameter of said first yarns; thenumber of second yarns and first yarns being chosen so that theresulting specific gravity is less than one.
 23. The method of claim 22wherein the step of forming the first yarns further comprises formingeach first yarn of a blend of first and second materials, one of saidmaterials having a specific gravity greater than one and the othermaterial having a specific gravity less than one.
 24. The method ofclaim 23 wherein the step of forming the first yarns further comprisesthe step of selecting the amount of first and second materials so thateach first yarn has a resultant specific gravity which is greater thanone.
 25. The method of claim 22 wherein a predetermined number of thefirst yarns extend over the entire length of the rope.
 26. A method forproducing a strand for use in a rope for deep water fishing having asinking portion and a floating portion comprising the steps of:(a)providing fibers of a first material having a specific gravity less thanone; (b) forming a first yarn from said fibers; (c) forming a blendedyarn by encircling said first yarn with a non-metallic material whosespecific gravity is greater than one, the relative proportions of saidfirst yarn and said encircling non-metallic material being a plasticmaterial chosen so that the resulting specific gravity is greater thanone; (d) providing the blended yarn formed in step (c) with apredetermined outer diameter which is substantially uniform over itslength; (e) forming a second yarn of fibers of a second material havinga specific gravity which is less than one; (f) forming a strandcomprised of a predetermined number of said blended yarns; (g)terminating selected ones of the blended yarns when the strand reaches afirst predetermined length; (h) inserting at the point of terminationsecond yarns comprised only of said second material into said strand toreplace each terminated blended yarn to form a second predeterminedlength of strand formed of said blended yarns and said yarns of saidsecond material such that the number of said yarns of said secondmaterial inserted is sufficient to alter the resulting specific gravityof the second predetermined length of strand to a resulting value whichis less than one.
 27. The method of claim 26 wherein step (c) furthercomprises a step of encircling said first yarn by applying thenon-metallic material in the form of a coating.
 28. A method forproducing a strand for use in a rope for deep water fishing having asinking portion and a floating portion comprising the steps of:(a)providing fibers of a first plastic material of a specific gravity whichis less than one; (b) encircling the fibers of a first material withfibers of a second plastic material having a specific gravity which isgreater than one; (c) blending the fibers of said first and secondmaterials into a yarn of a composite blend of fibers of said first andsecond materials, the ratio of fibers of said first material to fibersof said second material in said composite blended yarn being selected toprovide a resulting specific gravity which is greater than one; (d)forming the blended yarn of a predetermined outer diameter which issubstantially uniform over its length; (e) forming a yarn of fibers ofonly said second material of a diameter substantially equal to thediameter of said blended yarn; (f) forming a strand comprised of apredetermined number of said blended yarns; (g) terminating selectedones of the blended yarns when the strand being formed reaches apredetermined length while continuing to form the remaining blendedyarns; (h) inserting at the point of termination yarns comprised of onlysaid second material into said strand to replace each terminated blendedyarn, the quantity of yarns comprised of only fibers of said secondmaterial being sufficient in number to alter the resulting specificgravity of the length of the strand containing blended yarns and yarnsof said second material to a value of less than one.